"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." - Swami Vivekananda

New
Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS) With the constant pressure to look good,
people are knocking at the doors of cosmetic or plastic surgeons
for an image makeover, but it is the wedding season that witnesses
the maximum influx of people prepared to go under the knife
just to acquire that perfect look.

"We
see the bulk of people approaching us three to four months
prior to their weddings as cosmetic surgery is no longer the
domain of females, even grooms-to-be are making an effort
to look good for their weddings," said Anup Dhir, a senior
consultant at the department of cosmetic surgery, Indraprastha
Apollo hospital.

"After
all, it is a once in a lifetime affair and everyone from the
family including the bride and groom, wants to look perfect,"
Dhar told IANS.

According
to Dhir, the most popular treatments for matrimonial reasons
are rhinoplasty (nose job), scar removal, breast augmentation,
breast reduction, liposuction and lip augmentation.

The
processes can easily cost anywhere between Rs.40,000 and a
few hundred thousands.

"People
have unrealistic expectations from their bodies and their
perception of deformity is completely different from what
we perceive; so we have to make them understand whether they
seriously need to go under the knife," he explained.

"There
is nothing wrong in cosmetic surgery if it is for essential
reasons and not for frivolous reasons," he added.

Elaborating
on the unrealistic expectations, Dhir explained that people
are obsessed with one part of body and they sometimes imagine
deformities that do not exist at all and have to be convinced
they do not need to undergo surgery.

"Clients
come to us for mole removal or nose job even if they do not
necessarily need it, but they still want to get a perfect
face or body," Dhir explained.

Rashmi
Taneja, a consultant at the Artemis Health Institute, agreed
with Dhir and felt that small deformities like scars should
be removed just to improve an individual's appearance.

"There
are times when young girls come to me for removal of a prominent
birth mark, a scar, or for breast enhancement as by doing
so, their prospects of finding a good match improve,"
she said.

"If
small things like this can please your husband and in-laws
and improve your confidence then there is nothing wrong in
it," she added.

It
is not only grooms or brides who opt for such surgeries; even
other members of the family drop in for quick fixes to gear
up for the D-day.

"A
wedding involves a lot of people and every age group wants
to look good. We have a solution for everyone. Treatments
like botox are meant for people who want to get rid of their
wrinkles," Taneja explained.

Even
though a beautiful wife and a handsome husband do not guarantee
a successful marriage, people want to go with the tide that
demands that one looks attractive.

"A
marriage can be sustained only on the basis of compatibility
and understanding. The rest is superficial but the mindset
of society is such that physical appearance comes above everything,"
contended Samir Parikh, chief of the mental health and behavioural
science department at Max Healthcare.

"To
look good and presentable has become a pre-requisite and people
are falling into this trap, as objectively it is not necessary
to look good as you are marrying an individual and not a plastic
doll," Parikh told IANS.

There
was a time when this trend was restricted to the rich, but
now even middle-class people are approaching these clinics.

"This
is a trend which has been increasing slowly with the rise
in awareness levels about cosmetic procedures and their affordability.
After all, this process gives you permanent results,"
Dhir maintained.

The
surgeries do come with some risk factors like infection and
nerve injuries but Dhir says that nothing in this world comes
without risk.

"Nothing
in this world comes without taking risks. There is always
a 2-4 percent risk factor in every surgery, but it is worth
taking this," Dhir said